The Island of Misfit Toys

This is the stall in my barn I like to call “the island of misfit toys”.

Currently, this box stall (which is supposed to be reserved for elderly horses on the coldest days and a goat/sheep maternity suite) is home to two turkeys, a Pekin duck, a Silkie banty cross and Thunder, the giant Dark Brahma rooster.

Why are they here and not out with their respective flocks in proper housing?

Because they are all rather defective, one way or the other.

The turkeys are inside because they absolutely could not conceive of a winter plan that did not involve sleeping in the very middle of the yard, with zero shelter of any kind. And despite my repeated attempts to introduce them to the wonders of the chicken coop, the goat shed and the ducks huts, they still thought the middle of the yard, directly on the frozen ground was simply the best spot ever to sleep. Finally, when they caught a respiratory bug while sitting outside in the 33 degree rain, I gave up and locked them in the stall. 😑 Now I get gobbled and strutted at every time I do chores.

The duck is our old lady duck that is chubby, a little arthritic and super waddly (even for a duck) and just can’t keep up with her compadres in the snow. It was too heartbreaking watching her struggle and so in she came. She has her own heated splash dish, gets her own bin of baby lettuces weekly and has a little hut within the stall to hid from the turkey babble—in other words, her own duck “retirement home”.

The Silkie cross is easily the dumbest bird I have ever met. Not only is she short and stumpy, those silkie poof feathers just don’t keep the warmth in and the weather out. She also doesn’t seem to see all that well and spent the summer constantly getting lost from the flock and crying in the yard. And so I just don’t trust her to survive in a snow covered landscape. And so in she came.

And Thunder?

Well Thunder just doesn’t want to be a chicken. He has been Evie’s special pet since he was a bold, friendly baby and has grown up with a serious sense of chicken entitlement. It offends him to stay with the rabble in the coop and I just got tired of arguing with him about it and thus he is the barn.

Unlike the other four, Thunder can hop in and out of the stall and so he spends his days preening in the cat’s special sun perch in the window, stealing feed directly out of the bin and crowing 6 inches from Mama Pig’s ears.

Just pin the big “SUCKER” sign on my back and see me on my way...